Once the juice has fermented, it is gravity fed to oak aging barrels on the floor below the fermentation vats. These smaller barrels will be a home for the newly made wine to rest and evolve for some eighteen to twenty-four months. During that time, some of the wine will evaporate (the barrels are porous oak!), and so the winemaker will periodically 'top-off' each barrel. As this isn't always a very neat process (spills do happen), the center section of each barrel is stained with wine. This makes the cellar more attractive! |